Dark Night in the Fire Nation
by HowCouldThisHappenToMe
Summary: The birth of an heir brings great joy to the Fire Nation, but the moment is bittersweet. A branch off of "Call My Name"


**I honestly don't know what possessed me to write this, but I once I had the idea in my head, I had to get it into words. And commence gross sobbing. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA or any of its characters. I only have Kala.**

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Loud, despirate, pained screams echoed in the halls of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Mere minutes passed between each anguished cry, but none of the staff would rush to the aid of the woman in her agony. Many of them wandered the halls with somber faces, hating to hear their Fire Lady in such pain. They had little to do, with all of the day's work completed. Normally they would have retired to their chambers, but the screams kept them awake. They could not near the royal bed chamber, despite their wishes. All of the staff needed was already by her side.

Kala gripped the hand of her husband as tightly as she could while a midwife dabbed a moist cloth across her forehead. As another contraction pushed its way through her body, she cried out again, releasing a breath of flames as she did. Her young daughter, who had begged to be there for the birth of her new sibling, now looked nervous. Kala panted heavily as her contraction ebbed, allowing her a brief moment to catch her breath. She made a gentle shushing sound that reminded her daughter of the crashing tides.

"Come here, Honora," Kala whispered as gently as she could. "It's alright." The girl, only ten at the time quickly ran forward and stood beside her father, grasping Kala's arm tightly. Fire Lord Zuko placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and pulled her close, so she could feel the comforting sensation of being near both her parents.

"Just a few more pushes, Lady Kala. I can see the baby's head," another midwife said. Kala nodded and took a few deep, gulping breaths. She turned to her head and kissed Honora's forehead with a smile. Kala's gaze then turned to Zuko.

"If we have a son, I want to name him after my father."

"Of course," Zuko answered and squeezed Kala's hand just as another wave of pain reached her. Her grip tightened as she pushed, willing her child to be born. She looked forward to raising him, just as she had been doing with her daughter.

She was certain she was about to have a son. He would carry on the royal line, and maybe even rule as Fire Lord once he came of age. If not, Honora would be the one to rule the Fire Nation. And Kala was certain she and Zuko would raise their children to be more than capable of taking care of their country. She could feel her son being born, and a bright smile stretched across her face, despite the excruciating pain. She didn't remember Honora's birth being this painful.

The wailing cries of an infant replaced the pained screamed of his mother as the baby was brought into the world. The midwives quickly cut the umbilical cord and cleaned him while Zuko watched in awe. He grinned widely, so proud to be the father of a boy, and immensely proud of his wife for what she had endured to bring that boy into being.

"Mamma!" Honora screamed, ripping Zuko's attention away from his son and to his wife.

Kala's skin was significantly paler than it had seemed only moments before and she looked weak. Time seemed to slow as the servants in the room scrambled to move the baby to tend to Kala, and that was when Zuko noticed all the blood. Kala's hand grew limp as her final moments passed. For all the power the Fire Lord held, he could do nothing but pull his daughter close to him in an attempt to shield her from seeing her mother die before his eyes. Tears soaked into his robes from Honora's sobs and he couldn't stop his own crying at the sight of his wife. Despite the obvious pain Kala had gone through, she had died with a smile on her face.

After Kala's body had been cleaned and redressed for her cremation ceremony the following morning, a servant approached Zuko and Honora as they sat under the tree by the turtle-duck pond. Honora clutched her father's robes, soft sobs still escaping her lips. Zuko glanced up at the servant to see his infant son in her arms. Part of him wanted to loathe the child that had taken his wife from him. But he couldn't do that. He was Kala's son just as much his own. As the babe was handed to him, he could see the dark skin of the Water Tribes and wondered if his son would have his mother's eyes. The baby was small, having been born nearly an entire term premature, and Zuko felt as if he were holding an egg.

"Bato," he whispered shakily and scrubbed the tears from his eyes. Honora reached up and allowed the infant to grasp her finger. She couldn't help the faint smile that graced her lips at the sight of him. She had a brother. It was a sad day in the Fire Nation because her mother had died, but at least they still had a piece of her with them in that dark-skinned baby boy. Honora looked forward to teaching him all she knew and helping her father raise him.

They never got the chance. Little Bato joined his mother mere months after his birth. He'd been too frail to survive.

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**I had to use the fandom name for Zuko's daughter. I just couldn't resist. Please R&R.**


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